Postpartum Depression Myths

Having a baby can trigger all sorts of feelings. A lot of people describe it as feeling like your heart is walking around outside of your body, because you have love you've never felt before. There's joy and then there's something a lot people don't expect to feel -- depression. And that is different than the occasional crying spell. Dr. Lori Bethke from Entira Family Clinics stopped by to help us debunk the myths behind Postpartum Depressions.

1. MYTH: Postpartum Depression and baby blues are the same thing.

+ Baby Blue Symptoms

- mood swings

- crying spells

- anxiety

- difficulty sleeping

+ PPD symptoms

- insomnia

- loss of appetite

- intense irritability

- difficulty bonding with the baby

2. MYTH: PPD is a character flaw or weakness

+ PPD needs to be medically diagnosed

+ it's important for spouses, friends, grandparents to know the symptoms

**Additional risk factors for PPD**

+ past history of depression

+ history of abuse

+ young age

+ immigrant status

+ unplanned pregnancy

+ stressful life events

+ lack of social and financial support

+ gestational diabetes

+ congenital malformation of the infant

3. MYTH: If you don't get PPD right after you give birth, you won't get it at all

+ PPD can happen any time in the first year after a woman gives birth

4. PPD will go away on its own

+ Treatments: therapy & anti-depressants

**Postpartum depression is associated with increased risk of difficulties among infants -- one study of kids age 3.5 years found that emotional and behavioral problems were twice as likely to occur in children whose mothers suffered from PPD compared with children whose mother had not**

5. MYTH: all women with PPD have thoughts about hurting their child

+ Postpartum Psychosis - women who suffer from this have thoughts about hurting their baby